Shadow Children series 1. Chapter 1

Among The Rebels

Luke POV

It's been one year since the third children were freed. For one year I had my dream life. I was treated the same as Mark, Matthew, and Smits. I farmed and could walk in the open for as long as I wanted. We got our pigs back along with cows and horses. We could finally make a profit on our crops. All that changed when Aldous came back to the country with a huge foreign army who still agreed with the Population Law. They overthrew our new government and started a war. My family thought we were doomed. That was until we met Lacey, a teen-aged rebel who crashed a fighter jet into one of our fields. She changed our perspective on the war and led us to an army of thousands of rebels. The rebels that were our countries only hope. Rebels led by a fourteen year old. But Lacey has deadly secrets of her own that threaten to expose her true identity to everyone. This is the rebellion.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke POV

Among the Rebels Chapter 1

Michelle White

I stood with Smits, Matthew, and Mark near the pig pen. This was the first month getting our pigs back. Not only had we gotten pigs, but cows and horses as well. Our father finally had the money that we were supposed to get off our crops. We got milk from the cows and rode the horses all the time. Our family had also gotten a tractor which really helped with gathering crops and plowing fields. I was so happy that I could finally do these things with my brothers and father. My mother had stopped working the job at the factory and was much calmer. We were all content. It had been a year since the Population Law had been abolished. Our government was new and still weak, but people respected it and were happy that they weren't restrained as much.

I was pulled from thought as Mark walked away from the fence of the pig pen. Smits, Matthew, and I turned to see him walk away. He was walking towards our mother who was standing in the back doorway, with tears streaking her face. "Dad!" Matthew yelled as he ran after Mark, "Something's wrong!" Smits and I both ran towards our mother. We were all hugging her when our father came running towards us from behind the barn. Mother started sobbing hysterically. We all let go of mother when father reached us. He held her and she sobbed into his chest. "Edna, what's the matter?" He asked. She looked up at him. "It's Aldous." She said, softly, "He's come back." Father gasped and we all glanced at one another. If Aldous was back then we were all in trouble. "We're screwed." Mark said, "But I ain't gonna stand around and do nothing about it." Matthew and I nodded. "You'll do no such thing." Father said, "If they come then we'll defend the place, but as of now you will continue to work on the farm. C'mon let's go watch the news." Matthew and Mark glanced at one another and nodded. They then turned and walked into the house.

We were all crowded around our small television in the living room. All of our channels had the same thing on: panicking people desperately crying out for help. The date on the TV was almost a half a month behind. Suddenly, all of the channels changed to show Aldous standing with many foreigners behind him. "People of my country, rejoice that order has returned." I saw Oscar push his way through the crowd to Aldous. Smits punched the TV and it turned off. "This is almost two weeks old. He wants us in the dark which means they're coming. Mark's right, we're screwed. He's already overthrown the government and we have no army."

That was when we all heard a huge crash. The ground shook and the lights went out.


	3. Chapter 3

Mark POV

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Shadow Children Series. **

Among the Rebels

Chapter 2

We all fell to the floor as the ground rumbled and shook beneath us. "What the..." Luke began and the lights flickered back on. "Hell" I finished. Father had grabbed his rifles from where they hung on the wall. There was one for each of us, except Mother. She despised fighting and weapons. I took one and threw the strap over my shoulder. Well good thing we had got the horses to let us shoot rifles off their backs. "Hide in the secret room." Father said to Mother. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Mother looked like she was crying, but she tried to cover it with a forced smile. I smiled back and we all hugged her. Luke, Matthew, Smits and I then followed Father out to the barn. The horses didn't look the slightest bit fazed. I immediately began to saddle my horse, Night Runner. He was a hulking, black stallion whose brown eyes were deep enough to drown in. I was on my horse before anyone was done tacking. "Come on" I said. When everyone was finally mounted we raced out of the barn with Father in the lead.

We weaved through fields and patches of trees. We slowed when we saw smoke from behind a patch of trees. We dismounted our horses and tied them to trees. Slowly, we crept through the trees with our rifles at the ready. "Don't shoot unless fired at first or if I give the order." We crept to the edge of the tree line and peered out. I saw a hulking F22 jet sticking out of the ground. Part of my view was blocked by a parachute that was stuck in the shrubbery in front of me. Suddenly, a teenaged girl walked in front of the jet. She was wearing a white tank top, camouflage cargo pants, and black combat boots. Her brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun and she had a MK 48 light machine gun strapped to her back. "Damn" She said to herself, "Well that makes it sixteen down, four to go." Matthew shifted his weight slightly behind me and a stick cracked. In a matter of seconds the machine was in her hands and she was in a defensive stance. Another stick cracked, but this time it was Smits. "Show yourselves and I won't shoot. Maybe." She said, threateningly. She waited a few seconds and then shot a tree near my shoulder. Bark showered my head and shoulders. She knew we were there.

I got up and walked out of the woods. The rest of my family followed suit. She smiled and threw the gun back over her shoulder. God, she was gorgeous. "Are we no threat to you?" Father asked as soon as we were close enough. She laughed, "Compared to some of the things I've done before, I could probably shoot you all in under five seconds." Father looked almost hurt. The girl stuck her hand out, "The name's Lacey." Father shook her hand and replied, "Harlan. These are my sons Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Smits." We each nodded our heads as our name was said. "Nice to know." Lacey said, "Is it possible to give me a ride into town? I just need to get there and I'll find a way to get back to camp." Lacey turned and went back to the jet. It looked like she was trying to scavenge something from the wreck. Finally, she emerged from the scrap pile with a small black box. "Holds information to everything that's ever happened to this jet." Lacey said, jumping off the side of the metal hunk.

"You said camp." Father said, "What did you mean by that?" Lacey grimaced. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice my slip-up, but I guess you guys won't last long by yourselves." She seemed to ponder this thought. "I'll let you come back to camp with me and we'll see if you want to stay. Either way you take an oath of loyalty and if you break it we have to kill you, but other than that..." Lacey broke off with a smirk on her face.

"We'll come." Father said, "Let's go get Edna." Lacey's mouth opened after a moment as if she was going to say something, but she shut it. We slung the rifles over our backs and walked back through the patch of trees. Lacey still stood there. "You coming?" Father asked. Lacey snapped out of her trance and jogged towards us. I mounted Night Runner and extended my forearm down to Lacey. She grabbed it and swung herself up behind me. I felt her arms wrap around my waist. Lacey was tense and I knew she would jump off at any sense of danger. I spurred my Night Runner forward and even with the added weight he didn't slow any. As we galloped, the house came closer and closer. We slowed as we entered the barn. Lacey swung herself down from Night Runner. "Go get Edna." Lacey said to Father, "I'll help untack the horses." Father ran out of the barn.

Lacey turned and started to loosen Night Runner's girth. So, she knew horses. She pulled his saddle and blanket off and handed it to me. I had just put down the saddle when she tossed me Night Runner's bridle. "Can I take a quick ride?" Lacey asked, turning to me. "I guess so, but there's obviously no bridle." I said. Lacey rolled her eyes, "I don't need a bridle." She acted if there was no war and that Aldous wasn't coming. She pulled herself up onto Night Runner's back. She turned him and he walked out of the barn. As soon as she passed the doors she nudged him. Night Runner, needing no further persuading, took off into a dead run. My brothers came to stand next to me. What stunned us all was how she rode bareback at a dead run. She was about to pass through a patch of trees when she turned and started racing back. At that moment Father and Mother walked out of the house carrying a few bags. She slowed him when she was about twenty feet from the barn. Lacey dismounted and patted Night Runner's neck. "He's amaz.." She began.

Suddenly, Lacey had her gun out and was pointing it at Father. Father, in turn, had his shotgun pointed at her. Then I realized it wasn't her, it was the horse. "No." Lacey said, simply, but forcefully. "We can't feed him anymore, we're leaving. We can't let him go either; I don't want Aldous or his army getting hands on him." Father said, his face staying passive. I knew that my face had a look of shock on it. I couldn't get my body to move. Lacey glanced at out faces. Night Runner had tensed and was dancing nervously. Lacey bit her lip. "They can come and the pigs can come. We might need more food in the future and we only have so many ATVs." She said quickly, hoping that Father would spare them.. Father's lips were pursed, but his gun was lowered slightly. "I mean if you have like a stock trailer." Lacey said. "We do." Luke said before Father could say anything. We all knew that we just couldn't cope without our animals.

Within minutes we had all the horses and pigs loaded on a trailer. We had the trailer hooked to Father's new truck. "Just head straight on this road going north. I'll tell you to stop or turn when needed. Mother, Father, and Smits sat in the cab of the truck while the rest of us sat in the back. Lacey still had her gun out and it was resting on her knees. At first we were anxious and excited, but as the hours past we grew cold and restless. We could barely keep ourselves awake. Lacey and Father were the only ones truly awake. More hours passed and I started to drift off. The sun was starting to head west. After many twists and turns we entered forest. Lacey pulled a whistle off of her neck. She blew a single long blast into it. After a minute or two we heard a responding blast. Father rolled down the window. Lacey leaned forward, "They know we're here. Go slow and don't run me over." She jumped off the side of the truck holding her machine gun. Lacey walked out in front of us at a brisk pace. The road had long since turned to dirt. I had a feeling we were getting close.

Suddenly, Lacey was tackled from the left. Her attacker was a male probably about seventeen. They rolled for a bit before Lacey swung her gun at him. She hit him square in the jaw and in the same swing knocked the gun out of his hands. She then round-housed him in the chest. Once he was down, Lacey kept him pinned with her foot. Father had gotten out of the truck and was reaching into the bed of the truck for his rifle. The rifles that weren't there. Lacey had put them in the storage compartment of the trailer and she had the key. "Dylan, calm down. It's just me." Lacey said to the boy. He finally stopped struggling and she helped him up. "I didn't hear the whistle." Dylan said. "Well, I blew it." Lacey replied tossing Dylan's gun back. I noticed that it was an AK-47. She finally turned to us. "Get back in the truck. We're almost there." Lacey said and nobody challenged her. Dylan went into the woods for a minute and came back out riding an ATV. Lacey got on, but in front of him. It was obvious that she liked to drive. She hit the gas and the vehicle launched forward.

A few minutes later we saw it. The camp was huge. People were all over the place. Kids, adults, teens, and even some animals. Dylan leaped off of the ATV and rolled to the side. He got up and ran off into the camp. Lacey hit the gas again and we sped up to about fifty miles per hour. We winded past people and tents as we started to go uphill. As we went uphill, the tents and temporary buildings got more plentiful, but the people lessened. We finally stopped about halfway up the hill. She got off of the ATV and we all got out of the truck. She motioned for a middle aged woman to come over. "Lina will help you with anything you need. First she'll help with the horses and pigs, then she'll show you to your quarters. If you need her just ask anyone to get her." Lacey said. Lina tossed her something. "Thanks Lina. Now go." Lacey addressed Lina. "But" Lina started. Lacey cut her off with glare as she put something over her shoulder. She now wore two sashes made of machine gun ammunition that crossed over the center of her chest. Lina scurried off towards our trailer. That's when I realized something.

Lacey was in charge.


	4. Chapter 4

Mark POV

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Shadow Children Series! Hands out cyber-cookies to Stained-In-Negativity, Maerad-of-Pellinor28, and UnderworldChick! Thanks guys!**

Among the Rebels

Chapter 3

She was in charge. In charge of, Lina, Dylan, the camp, and every single rebel. "Why are your eyes bugging out your heads?" Lacey asked. I looked around at my family. I realized that they had all come to the same realization as I had. Lacey shook her head and picked up a knife belt from the ground. She tightened the black piece of leather around waist. I noticed that the belt had five different knives in holsters on it. I also noticed that the belt was home to two .40 caliber pistols. "You ever gonna use all those weapons?" Matthew asked with a smirk. Lacey pulled a pistol and pointed it at Matthew's forehead. "Do I need to?" Lacey asked and Matthew's smirk fell from his face. She tilted the pistol sideways. Lina walked back around the trailer, she stared at us and screamed. "Lacey! You promised me you wouldn't kill anyone this month! Remember I have to clean it up!" Lina shrieked. "Shut up!" Lacey screamed back, putting the pistol back on the belt. "You weren't supposed to hear that one. Anyways, I've got business to attend to." Lacey said quickly, lifting her eyebrows. She walked towards the ATV.

Lacey got on the four-wheeler and waved. She hit the gas and was gone. "Sorry about her" Lina said, putting the key to the trailer on the hood of the truck, "She had a mental breakdown about two months ago and killed two of her ex-boyfriends. She also tried to kill herself. Lace just hasn't been the same since. It was really weird actually. She went away for a bit and when she came back she was so angry and disturbed" Lina shrugged. She saw the look of shock and fear on our faces. "Don't worry!" Lina said, laughing, "She's been fine. Come on. Let's go to your tents and get you settled." We followed Lina as she walked farther up the hill. We had grabbed our possessions from the truck. It really wasn't much just some of Mother and Father's clothes and our rifles. We walked into a temporary house about half a mile up the hill from the stable area. There were six beds (One of which was in a small master bedroom area. The rest of the beds were in a larger living area.), a small kitchen area, two bathrooms, and a closet area. The floor was wood and the walls were made of concrete and drywall. I threw my stuff on a bed in the middle of the room.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun to see Dylan and a younger boy, probably Smits's age, standing behind me. Each boy held two large duffle bag. "The clothes in James's bags should fit you and you." Dylan said, pointing to Luke and Smits. He tossed one of the bags at Luke and the other at Smits. Dylan turned to Matthew and I. "These should fit you two." Dylan said, throwing the other two bags at us. I caught the bag and put it on my bed. Dylan then turned to my parents. "Lina and her husband, Thomas, will be bringing clothes for you later. I hope thats ok." Dylan said. I unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out a flannel plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. Dylan watched as I pulled the clothes out of the bag. "Sorry if it's not your style. There's only so much I can do when Lacey tells me I need to scrounge up clothes for four teenage boys within the next hour." Dylan said, apologetically. I smiled. "I'll give you a moment to change. Lacey wants to see you all" Dylan said. He and James left our small house. I took off my dirty white t-shirt and tossed it at Matthew. He turned and gave me a look that said _You are so immature_. I shrugged and pulled on a navy blue t-shirt that was at the bottom of the bag. I decided my jeans were clean enough. Dylan walked back in and nodded when he saw we were all ready. Outside, the sun had started it's descent to west. "Lacey's is the farthest up the hill. You can't miss it because it's fricken huge." Dylan said pointing up the hill. "You're not coming?" Father asked. "No, Lacey has me going to help James fight." Dylan replied. "Huh?" Smits spoke up. "We have to learn how to fight if we want to have any hope against Aldous's army." Dylan said, simply.

Dylan turned and left, walking down the hill next to James. We turned and walked up the hill. It wasn't too bad of a hike. Lacey's house was HUGE. It was almost four times the size of ours and ours wasn't that small. I couldn't imagine all that was for just one person. A big, four wheel drive, Dodge truck with a diesel engine was parked outside the house. Lina stood next to the truck with a messenger bag and a middle aged man. I was pretty sure that the man was Thomas. When we approached them, Lina immediately linked arms with Mother. "Come on, we have other things to do. Your husband and sons need to talk with Lacey." Lina said as she and Mother walked back down the hill. It was sort of strange. As I had thought, the man was indeed Thomas. Thomas was huge. He stood about six foot, five inches tall and had muscles slightly smaller than bowling balls. He greeted us with a handshake and then walked into house. I had noticed that all the houses in the camp could be destroyed or taken down within an hour, but would withstand the elements. The door was open, but a curtain of colorful beads hung in the doorway. There was a slight wind that made the beads rock slightly. Thomas pushed aside the beads and walked into the house. After a slight hesitation, my family followed. Lacey stood near a small table with a black haired girl standing across from her. Lacey had taken her hair down and it was now slightly past shoulder length, wavy, and layered. Lacey didn't move as she heard the beads. Instead, she rubbed her temples like someone would if they were stressed.

Suddenly, she stabbed a knife into the table. The black haired girl didn't look the slightest bit fazed. "Just go and get me chocolate or something." Lacey addressed the black haired girl softly. The black haired girl stood and walked towards the door. She gripped Thomas's shoulder and whispered, "Good luck." With that, she turned and walked out of the house. Thomas took a deep breath. "Lacey?" He said. After a moments hesitation, she looked up. Straightening up, she said, "Good you brought them. Please leave us to talk alone for a while." Thomas nodded and walked quickly out the door we had just come through. Lacey paused for a moment and then turned to Father. "I'll apologize for this beforehand, Harlan. A certain situation has arisen and it seems you're going to need to determine where your loyalties lie sooner than expected." Lacey said, stopping every once in a while to think. I looked down at the table, there was a map of the surrounding area spread out across it. The knife pierced a small town about three hundred miles away from where we were now. (It was marked with a blue pushpin)

Father followed my gaze to the knife. "They're closing in. Aren't they?" Father said, not really expecting an answer because it was obvious. Lacey nodded slightly. Father put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you fully in charge here?" Father asked. Lacey didn't move, she made no sounds. "Lacey?" Father tried again. "Yes. I'm in charge." Lacey stated. Suddenly, Lacey was angry. "And I don't need any help running this place if that's what you're trying to suggest." She snapped. "Not at all!" Father said, shocked by her sudden change in attitude. "You have until tomorrow to decide whether or not you'll stay." She said, holding her head high. "We'll stay. Edna and I have already decided. My sons are not legal yet so they stay with us." Father said, "We'll be down the hill if you need us." "Your boys will be of great use to our cause." Lacey said. Father's eyes hardened and he led us out the door. I was the last one to leave, but before I was able to, Lacey grabbed my wrist. We both tensed the minute her skin touched mine. I felt cold steel in my hand. I looked down to see a switchblade resting in palm. "It's the least I can do for now." Lacey said quietly. She released my wrist, almost hesitantly. I nodded, "Thank you." She nodded. I turned and walked out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Mark POV

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Shadow Children Series**

Among the Rebels

Chapter 4

Warm air hit me the moment I walked out the door. I slid the knife that Lacey had given me into my pocket. My brothers and Father stood waiting for me outside the door. I could still feel Lacey's touch on my wrist. I could still see those soul-searching eyes of hers. She was crazy, I'll admit that much, but Lacey was still drop dead gorgeous. Father put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"Come on boys. We have to talk." Father said. When we got back to our small house my brothers and I sat down on my bed. Father stood in front of us and Mother hadn't come back yet.

"Boys, I'd like to talk to you about what staying here means." Father said, bowing his head. Matthew straightened up beside me and Smits looked like he was about to cry.

"I don't blame you if you hate me for my decision. I know that I can get you boys out of here without anyone knowing, but where else can you go?" Father asked to no one in particular. Luke shook his head.

"You boys are going to have to fight if you stay." Father said simply.

"You boys said you wanted to fight, but I don't want you to. I have no say anymore. Do you want to fight or not?" Father asked. The house went silent.

"I'll fight." Matthew said.

"Me too." I agreed.

Luke nodded, "Yes."

Smits nodded slightly, "Yes." His voice wavered and cracked. Luke put an arm around him.

"We're going to be ok, Smits." Luke said, confidently. I admired my little brother's courage and confidence in a tough situation. I saw a tear leak from Father's eye and he nodded. Smits stood up and hugged Father. Father forced a smile and hugged Smits back. A few moments of silence followed. I threw Matthew off the bed. He looked up at me with an incredulous look.

I smiled and said, "My bed." Matthew smiled as he got up and then he tackled me. Father cracked a true smile as both Matthew and I hit the ground. We wrestled on the ground for a few minutes, dodging punches and kicks from one another. We both stopped when Luke sprawled out across my bed.

"My bed." He said with a smirk. Mark and I glanced at one another. We both tackled Luke, sending all three of us flying onto the other side of the bed at Father's feet. He tried to pull us apart with a smile.

"C'mon boys! Break it up!" He said, laughing. I stood up. Matthew and I helped Luke up. We heard a small knock. Dylan stood in the doorway with a bruise on his cheekbone.

"Lacey wants you to see how we train around here being you chose to stay. Sorry that you guys have had no time to look around, but what Lacey wants, Lacey gets." Dylan said, with a shrug of his shoulder. He rubbed his bruise.

"No, it's fine!" Father exclaimed, "Just lead us there." Dylan smiled, but then winced. He walked out the door and then started down the hill. We followed, closing the door behind us. I was seriously starting to hate this damn hill. About halfway down the hill we stopped at the stable.

"You guys can get in the truck if you'd like. Lina unhooked the trailer earlier." Dylan said, gesturing towards the truck. He ran over to a hidden four-wheeler while we climbed into the truck.

"Edna will be waiting for you when we get down there." Dylan said, firing up the ATV. He shot off down the hill. Father stepped on the gas and we followed. I was currently bored out of my mind as the wind hit my face. Matthew kicked me, hoping to provoke a fight. I thought about, but decided that I wasn't going to fight in the bed of a truck. We finally stopped at the base of a hill near a huge tent. The tent was open almost all the way around and a small group of people were inside. We walked inside in time to see Lacey land a punch right in a boy's face. We all heard the sickening crack. He gasped and bent over in pain. She slammed her elbow down on the top of his head and he passed out. The boy fell to the ground at her feet. Lacey straightened up. I gasped, softly, when I noticed what Lacey was wearing. She wore a dark purple sports bra and black shorts. Her hair was in a braid and thrown in front of her shoulder. She had black tape wrapped around palms. Lacey's feet were bare. The thing that shocked me the most was a huge, black tattoo spanning her back. It was a web of designs, letters, and pictures. The rest of my family must have noticed the tattoo as well because Matthew whistled softly. She pointed at him and mouthed _You're next_. Matthew's eyes widened and he backed up a step. Dylan stepped out in front of Matthew.

"You want me to break your face again? So soon?" Lacey asked, nastily. Dylan snarled and stepped forward again.

"Bring it, bitch." He said.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Lacey said with a smirk. She stuck her hand out and Dylan grasped it and then let go. Lacey backed up and pulled her hair out of the braid.

The black haired girl stood near the edge of the dirt ring they were in. She raised her hand and let it drop. Dylan charged forward and Lacey easily sidestepped him. I realized that she could've taken him out right then, but she was obviously going for the longer fight. She stood still as Dylan spun to face her. Lacey roundhouse kicked him in the face. Dylan did a backflip as Lacey's foot hit his face. I winced even though Dylan was the one getting hurt. Dylan struggled to get up, but Lacey stepped on his chest. She whispered something to him and then picked him up and threw him. He landed about ten feet in front of me. This was going to be an easy fight for Lacey. Dylan groaned and moved slightly. Lacey walked over and stood above him. She stepped on his neck. Dylan struggled to get free. "Just tell me when you surrender." Lacey said with a smirk. He grabbed for her leg and tried to pull her down next to him, but unfortunately she was expecting it. She grabbed his arm and pulled him up. She twisted him so that she could reach the other arm and then pulled both arms across his back. Lacey kicked the back of Dylan's knee, hard. He fell to his knees and she threw him on his face.

The black haired girl yelled, "Down!" Lacey stopped advancing and knelt down by Dylan. She stuck out her hand. Dylan grasped it weakly and Lacey pulled him to his feet. He nearly collapsed onto her, but she kept him upright.

"I told you it was too soon." She whispered. Lacey threw his arm over her shoulder and looked up at me.

"Help me please." She said, softly. I walked forward quickly and threw Dylan's other arm around my shoulders. I nodded to Father who was hugging Mother.

"I'll meet you up the hill at our place." I said to Father. He nodded back and turned to my brothers. I continued to walk with Lacey, supporting Dylan. We were walking away from the hill and towards the main part of camp. Lacey stumbled once, but righted herself. We finally dragged Dylan into a large tent. There were many beds inside the tent, some surrounded by curtains. I guessed that this was the infirmary.

"I'm going to find Kira. Stay with Dylan." Lacey said and jogged off.

Dylan's eyes slowly opened.

"Is she gone?" He whispered.

"Yeah" I replied, "Why? I thought you two were like a thing."

Dylan rolled his eyes, "Me and Lacey? God no! We'd wind up killing each other! She's like my really annoying surrogate sister." I saw now how the treated each other like siblings. I laughed and he smiled.

"Look. Don't let her fool you. Deep down inside, she isn't quite as bad or big as she seems." Dylan said, his voice filled with understanding.

"She likes you, but ever since she lost it a couple of months ago..." Dylan started. He looked away. "She's been afraid to do anything that might possibly hurt anyone." I finished.

"Yeah. I'm lucky that she kept trusting me. The biggest problem that Lacey has is that she doesn't trust herself anymore." Dylan said, softly.

"Please! Get to know her. Don't let her lose herself!" Dylan exclaimed, grasping the front of my shirt. I looked into his panic-stricken eyes. It was obvious that Dylan had feelings for Lacey, no matter how much he denied it. He let go of my and tried to remain sitting. I could tell that it was painful and stressful for him.

"Shit!" Dylan said suddenly, "Here she comes!" He laid back down and looked like had never gotten up. Lacey walked in with a short, older woman next to her. Well, I guess everyone looked short next to Lacey.

"He'll be ok." Kira said, "Go. Prepare for the approaching army." We both continued to stand there.

"Go on! And bring your handsome friend with you!" The woman said. Lacey snapped out of her thoughts, grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the tent.

"That wasn't weird at all." I said sarcastically as Lacey dragged me along. Lacey let go of my arm.

"Yeah, she's like that sometimes." She said, a ghost of a smile spreading across her face.

"ATV travel ok with you?" She asked. "Sure, as long as I get to drive." I said, slyly. Lacey's mouth opened as if to say something.

"Otherwise, it's a long hike up the hill." I said, shrugging my shoulders. She shut her mouth. I got on the ATV and Lacey got on behind me. I felt her arms wrap around my waist. I twisted the throttle and hit the gas. The ATV was a good one, with lots of power and handling. We shot past my house and continued up the hill. I felt Lacey turn slightly behind me.

"That was your place, you know!" Lacey yelled over the rush of the wind. I pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of Lacey's house. She got off the ATV.

"Thanks." She said and walked into the house. I followed. She was in the small kitchen and I leaned against the doorframe. Lacey shut the water off in the sink. She walked to the middle of the room while drying her hands. She stared at me.

"You can go now." Lacey said. I smiled.

"Oh sorry. I just was wondering how you got running water up here." I said, walking in a bit further.

"Oh. This camp was actually built to be a summer camp. The campers stayed here all summer so they needed running water and stuff in there cabins." Lacey said, spreading a map across a table. I walked over to look at the map. The map was of the camp and you could see faintly written names of campers over each little home.

"The house we're in now was the councilors cabin and they got it good." Lacey said, pointing to the top of the map.

"Of course there wasn't any A/C, but luckily this summer is relatively cool." She said. Lacey looked up at me.

"Anything else you want to know?" She asked.

"Yeah, but you'd probably kill me and my family's waiting for me." I said as I began to walk towards the door. I smiled.

"I'll see you later." Lacey said.

"Definitely" I replied and she disappeared from my view.

**A/N: Ok, I tried a different style of writing and I'll admit that it was weird. Review and tell me which style you liked better. Also check out the **_**Underworld Chick and scorchclaw1**_** Facebook page! 30 likes and there will be an art contest! (I actually think it's going on right now...) So hurry up and check out our page!**


	6. Chapter 6

Mark POV

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Shadow Children series! :D**

**A/N: Gonna be working a lot on this story so keep looking for updates! Check out the Underworld Chick and scorchclaw1 Facebook page please! Thanks to Angel, Underworld Chick, and Stained in Negativity for reviewing! Please take my poll and check out some of my other stories! I BEG OF YOU! Also, review or I'll feel bad :( Promise that was the last of my ramble. Just read!**

Among the Rebels

Chapter 5

The ride back down the hill was quick. I kept thinking about Lacey. I couldn't fall in love with her. It just didn't seem right. Anyways, Dylan liked her no matter how much he denied it. I shook my head and fell out of the thought. The sun was beginning to slip behind the trees.

Suddenly, someone tackled me from the right. We both fell to side and the ATV flipped. The man that had tackled me had dark skin, dark hair, dark clothes, and dark eyes. Everything about him seemed dark. He pulled a knife out of his belt as we both rolled. I pulled myself up with a groan. The man did a front flip and landed upright and on his feet. I reached into my pocket for the knife that Lacey had given me. I flicked it out. The man rolled his eyes and walked towards me. I glanced behind me and was greeted by the sight of a drop-off. I gulped. As I turned back towards the man he threw his knife at me. I yelled as it cut my arm and I dropped my knife. The knife slid off the drop-off. He pulled a second knife out of his belt. I was screwed. I turned and jumped off the drop-off. Near the bottom, I tucked and rolled. It still hurt. The man slid down the edge of the drop-off. He seemed unhurt.

"Silly boy." The man said, "That hurt didn't it?" I answered with groan. I felt like I had broken every one of my ribs. Come to think of it, I might have. I heard a scream and looked up to see Lacey jumping onto the man's back. The knife flew out of the man's hand as Lacey pulled his head back. He tried to remain upright as Lacey perched on his back. She had her knife pressed against his throat. He stepped sideways and threw Lacey off. Her knife managed to make a small slit. Red blood trickled down the man's throat.

"Your daddy's looking for you." The man hissed. Lacey growled and pulled herself off the ground. She still had her knife in hand.

"He wants to rip your heart out and crush it in his hand" The man said. Lacey threw her knife and it landed right in the middle of his chest. He gasped and then coughed. Blood splattered out his mouth.

"Well he'll just have to keep trying" Lacey said, pulling a pistol off her belt. She shot him three times and was about to shoot him a fourth time when I stopped her.

"Lacey, he's dead!" I yelled. Lacey was drawn back to reality. The gun slipped out of her hand and hit the ground. She fell to her knees. No matter what someone will tell you, killing someone was a traumatic experience. Her face collapsed into shock. I pulled myself up and walked over to her. I knelt down next to her and put my hand on her shoulder. The man lay face down on the ground with blood spewing out of his mouth. She shook her head and stood up.

"Bitch ass" Lacey exclaimed and kicked the man's hand. She had changed out of the fighting outfit and into the clothes she had been wearing earlier. The only thing missing was her machine gun. She straightened up and met my gaze.

"What?" She asked upon seeing my expression.

"Really? I just saw someone killed!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry. I forgot that you don't see people killed that often or haven't ever before this day, judging by your expression." Lacey said.

"Wow, you're really understanding." I spat.

"Look I said I was sorry!" Lacey almost yelled. She was breathing heavily. I could almost feel my face harden. Lacey shook her head and gazed downward.

"Holy shit!" She gasped. I looked down and saw the outline of a broken rib against my shirt. So I did have broken bones.

"No comment" I said through my pain.

"I'm so sorry! You didn't say you were hurt!" Lacey exclaimed. I grimaced in response.

"Can you make it to the infirmary?" She asked. I took a few steps, but I was quickly out of breath and in extreme pain.

"No." I gasped out. I sat down against a tree.

"Just give me a little bit, I'll go get Kira or something." Lacey said, turning to start running. I grabbed her wrist.

"Don't leave me here." I gasped. Fear flashed through her eyes.

"Just let me go get gauze and I'll see what I can do" Lacey said, "I'll be two minutes tops." I hesitantly let go of her wrist. She smiled and ran off. The woods around me were quiet. The drop-off was like it's own little forest. I smiled to myself and sucked in a breath. It was literally two minutes later when Lacey slid back down the drop-off. She had an armful of gauze.

"This is gonna hurt. Like a lot." Lacey said dropping the supplies next to me. She knelt down next to me. She looked uncomfortable.

"I'm going to need you to take your shirt off..." She said, quietly. Her eyes widened slightly as I struggled out of my shirt.

"Please don't hit me when I do this." She said, biting her lip. Lacey felt my chest for the broken rib and rested her hand on it. She pushed down, trying to set the bone. I gasped and clenched my fists. She palpated the rest of my ribs to look for anymore breaks and I winced repeatedly. She moved a last rib back into place and sat back. I winced.

"Two breaks and a lot of bruises." Lacey said, picking up the gauze. She tightly wrapped my midsection to keep the bones from moving. She leaned in closely to tape the end of the gauze. Lacey looked up and met my gaze. She was so goddamn close. I leaned and kissed her. She slid her hands behind my neck. She kissed me back for a moment. We pulled away after a few short seconds. Lacey breathed in deeply and met my gaze.

"I don't know what happened with your last relationships, but I promise I won't be the same way." I said, my fingers brushing the side of her face. I got up and helped her up with me.

"C'mon. Let's go to the infirmary" I said, wincing from the pain of getting up. I started to walk away.

"Mark, I've got something to tell you." Lacey said. Her eyes were panic-stricken.

"Just tell me, Lacey" I answered.

"Don't hate me for this please" She said, grasping my wrist tightly.

"Why would I hate you Lacey?" I asked.

"Because my father, he..." Lacey trailed off. She seemed desperate.

"What is it Lacey?" I exclaimed. She inhaled sharply and lowered her gaze.

"My father is..."

**A/N: Mwahahahahahahaha! A cliff hanger! Anyways, loved it, hated it, liked it: JUST REVIEW! And take my poll please! :D Thanks for reading**


	7. Chapter 7

Mark POV

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Among the Rebels

Chapter 6

Lacey took another deep breath. She looked as if she was going to have a panic attack. She actually might be having one. She let go of my wrist and the skin was red where her fingers had gripped.

"My father is Aldous Krakenaur. I am a third child." She whispered, so low I could barely hear her. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I could only imagine the reaction of my family. Suddenly, she was tackled from the left by a huge man dressed in black. She slammed into the ground twenty feet away.

"Mark! Run!" Lacey screamed, looking up briefly at me. As soon as Lacey looked up, she was promptly kicked in the face. I turned and started running. I had to find Dylan or anyone for that matter. Once I was up the slope I saw that I was at the bottom of the hill. The camp was only a some hundred feet away. My lungs hurt and my ribs hurt. Pain spread through out my body. My breath became more and more ragged the closer and closer I got to the camp. I heard a scream from behind me and it encouraged me to run faster. I suddenly ran into Dylan.

"Mark? What the hell?" Dylan asked. I bent over in pain from my ribs and lack of breath.

"Lacey. Attacked. There." I gasped out, waving my hand in the direction from which I had come. Dylan's eyes widened and we both took off towards the woods. We were about three hundred feet away from the slope when Lacey came sprinting out with the man following closely after.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion within the trees. Both of them were sent flying with the explosion. In midair, Lacey pulled two pistols off her belt and started shooting at the man. She landed on both feet with one leg stretched out, the other bent, with one hand on the ground. There was another burst of flames from behind her. It looked like a scene that you might see in a movie. The man was already laying on the ground, twitching in pain. Lacey straightened up and smiled.

"We're good." She said, walking over to us. Black soot from the bomb blast covered her face. Her smiled widened when she saw my expression.

"He's used to it" Lacey said, jabbing her thumb at Dylan and laughing.

_Lacey POV_

**A few minutes earlier**

"Mark! Run" I yelled as the man tackled me. My body slammed to the ground. I looked up to see Mark running up the slope. I smiled and rolled onto my back and flipped myself up. My belt had fallen off during the scuffle. You don't know how long I've been waiting to use that one in a sentence.

"Shit!" I gasped as I ducked a punch that the man threw at me. I quickly grabbed his wrist and swung him into the nearest tree. I tried to scramble for the belt, but the man was up quicker than I expected. He was like a fricken freight train! I ducked out of the way and kicked him, hard, in the back. I only pissed him off even more. I quickly assessed his strengths and weaknesses before he came back at me. He kicked out at my stomach, but I caught his foot and threw him aside. I needed to get to my belt.

"Stand. Still. Bitch." The man said, his English was broken like he was foreign. Knowing my father, this man, whom Daddy Dearest hired, probably was. I finally reached my belt and pulled it on seconds before his fist met my stomach. I grabbed his hand and twisted his arm back. I slammed all of my weight onto the arm, trying to break it. He managed to pull away, but I kneed him quickly in the groin. He groaned and bent over in pain. I paused momentarily and he took advantage of the pause. He slammed into me in a semi-tackle. I screamed and was thrown to the side. I took a grenade-like bomb off my belt and stood up. The man paused and I smiled evilly. I pulled the pin, chucked it, and ran like hell in the other direction. I came sprinting out of the trees and saw both Dylan and Mark coming towards me.

The bomb exploded. It exploded with such force that I was thrown in the air. I twisted around, pulling a pistol off my belt with each hand. I shot at the man many times before twisting back around. I landed on both feet and I felt the shock of the landing run up my body. That was gonna hurt like a mother f***** in the morning. I looked up just as a second burst of fire scorched my back. The heat blistered and dangerously warmed the sash of machine gun bullets. It would suck if they started blowing up. Luckily, they didn't and the heat subsided. I shook my hair out of my face, straightened up and walked over to the two boys. They looked absolutely shell-shocked.

_**Mark POV**__ (Resuming where it left off) _

Dylan shook himself out of his shock. He smiled and put his hand on Lacey's shoulder.

"You ok?" He asked, addressing the both of us. I looked up.

"I'm fine." I told Dylan and we both turned to Lacey. She was picking pieces of smoldering debris off of her tank top. She then amused herself by pulling her hair down and playing with it. She looked up after a few moments of silence.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." She said, turning towards the man. We were all shocked to see a girl bent over the still body. Her hair covered her face.

"Hey!" Lacey yelled, as she started to jog over to the girl. Both Dylan and I jogged with her. The girl stood up, her hair still covering her face.

"That could be used as evidence!" Lacey yelled.

"Shut up, Lacey" The girl muttered from behind her hair. Lacey slapped the girl and the girl fell over backwards.

"Come again?" Lacey asked, venom dripping off her voice. The girl stood once again and I was shocked to see Lacey looking back at us.

"Lisa?" Lacey gasped in shock. So Dylan and I weren't the only confused ones. Lisa's eyes were gunmetal gray and her hair was a pale brown. She stood a good six inches shorter than Lacey, but you could tell that they were definitely related. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm definitely Tara." Lisa replied, sarcastically. Lacey slapped her again. Lisa's cheek was now blood red.

"Don't you dare speak of that bitch in my presence." Lacey growled, her feelings for this mysterious Tara obviously hateful ones. Lisa shrank back.

"All I wanted was to speak to you. You didn't have to kill my bodyguards." Lisa said, timidly.

"Well when a man twice your sizes attacks you and your friends, your natural reaction should be to fight back." Lacey growled, "Especially when they look like Daddy Dearest's little friends." Lisa looked hurt.

"Don't insult Dad." Lisa said, meekly trying to defend her father. Lacey's eyes widened.

She laughed in hysteria.

"No! I'm just gonna sit around and wait for him to come and sit down to solve this problem diplomatically." Lacey replied, sarcastically, with a fake smile spread across her face. I glanced quickly at Dylan who was just as lost as I was.

"You never know!" Lisa cried, "It could happen!" She shrank back as Lacey drew back her hand to slap her again.

"I don't even know how I'm related to you." Lacey spat, "Get the hell out of my camp." Lisa's bottom lip quivered.

"You can't kick me out! I'm your sister!" Lisa yelled as she turned and ran towards the mess hall. Lacey groaned. She shrugged her machine gun sash and belt off in one motion (chucking them both at us) before taking off after her sister. Dylan and I each caught an item and took off as well. As suspected, Lisa ran straight into the mess hall. Lacey picked up speed as she ran in the building as well. I heard screams as Dylan and I ran through the door. People were standing against the walls, trying to keep their families out of the way. My ribs were hurting again. This was gonna be a bitch to care for.

Lacey threw herself into a tackle and the sisters went flying through a pile of clean, glass dishes. Glass flew everywhere and much of it shattered. It looked like a waterfall of broken glass.

"I'm gonna kill you, bitch!" Lacey screamed as she threw her sister into the nearest table. I picked my way through the crowd to my family. Lisa wasn't putting up much of a fight. Lacey picked her up by her hair. Lisa was left dangling three inches off the ground. She was whimpering and crying in pain. Father looked over at Dylan and I.

"What happened to you!" He gasped out in a soft voice. I looked at him.

"I'll tell you later." I whispered back. The crowd had gone silent as they watched the two sisters. Lisa still dangled by her hair. Her whimpers had grown into painful screeches.

Suddenly, Lacey dropped her. Lisa was quick to move away from Lacey. She grabbed a piece of glass and sprung up. She slashed the glass across Lacey's face. Lacey was shocked and stumbled backwards. A gash stretched along the edge of her left jaw. Lacey roundhoused her sister in the face, but as soon as her back was exposed, Lisa shot forward. Lisa slammed the piece of glass into her sister's back and pulled it out just as quickly. Lacey let out a short scream. Lacey punched forward, breaking Lisa's nose. Blood spurted from both girls. Blood ran down Lisa's face and blood stained Lacey's previously white shirt. Lacey went down to her knees. There was not a sound.

"You're exactly like Tara" Lacey said. Lisa dropped the bloodied piece of glass that she was holding, shaking her head violently. Tears ran down Lisa's face. Lacey got up. She backhanded her sister and walked out of the mess hall. Lisa fell to her knees and began to sob. There was no other sound or movement.

Dylan walked out of mess hall after Lacey. I looked at my family and held up the belt in a gesture that said, _Sorry, but gotta give this back_. Father nodded. Mother clutched his arm. God, where could she have gone? I noticed a small trail of blood leading towards the hill. Of course she would go back to her cabin instead of going to the infirmary. Dylan tossed me her sash of machine gun bullets.

"Find her, please. I'll go get Kira to help." Dylan said. I nodded and jogged, painfully, off up the hill. I entered her cabin about ten minutes later. The warm breeze shifted the beads hanging across the doorway as I looked around. I saw a bare, bloody footprint leading out another bead-covered entryway that I hadn't noticed before. I pushed my way through the beads. I was met by a gorgeous sight of a valley. There was a pink sliver of sky lining the faraway, forest green mountains. The rest of the sky remained a vibrant blue. You could see for miles from here. Lacey sat a few feet in front of the doorway in a patch of shaded grass.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Lacey asked, not really expecting an answer. Blood still dripped down her face, neck, and back. Her jaw wound hadn't even scabbed over yet. I sat down next to her.

"It is." I said. Lacey turned slightly to look at me. A ghost of a smile touched her face.

"Are you going to be ok?" I asked. Lacey sighed and looked away into the distance. I wiped a droplet of blood off her face. She inhaled deeply and turned back towards me.

"Debatable" She replied. We sat in silence for a moment.

"Mark? Lacey?" I heard Dylan call from inside the house. The both of us stood and walked into the house. Lacey was limping badly. Kira immediately rushed to Lacey. I walked over to Dylan.

"Is she ok?" Dylan asked.

"I don't know. She won't tell me much." I replied. We both turned to see Lacey now stripped down to a white bra and black boy shorts.

"You can close your mouths." Lacey called as Kira started picking glass shards out of her back and legs. Lacey bit her lip in pain.

"I gotta go" I told them.

"Go ahead." Lacey said, pain raising her voice a bit, "I'm probably gonna pass out after this." I nodded and waved. Dylan patted my shoulder as I turned to go to the door.

"Sleep well." Dylan said. I nodded again and walked out of the cabin.

**Me: *Falls over in exhaustion* Just review please. Hope you liked it!**


	8. Chapter 8

Mark POV

Among the Rebels

Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I disclaim**

**A/N: This will be the last update until August 25... I'm extremely sorry. **

I woke up before the sun had crested the hill of the camp. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I slipped the knife that Lacey had given me into my pocket. I walked out of our cabin without waking the rest of my family and started to trudge up the hill. Dylan had dropped by late last night and he had asked me to go and check on her in the morning. I stepped through the doorway of her cabin just as the sun started to peak up. There was no movement in the cabin. I walked in farther and noticed another beaded doorway. I pushed my way through the beads and found myself in Lacey's bedroom. She lay on her stomach on a blue sheeted bed.

Lacey wore nothing on her torso, exposing the tattoo that spanned her back. (Luckily she was wearing shorts) It was a traditional tribal tattoo with names, sayings, and other tribal tattoos branching off. Most of the glass had missed the skin that was tattooed. Being the nosy person I was, I looked through the names. Lisa, Carol, Tara, Aldous, and Dylan were tattooed. I was looking over the rest of the tattoo when I saw something the shocked me. My name was tattooed in scrolling text near the center of her back. I felt my fingers reach for inked name. I let the tips of my fingers trace each letter. Suddenly, Lacey's hand was gripping my wrist.

"Mark?" She whispered.

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna leave and let you pull on a shirt." I told her as I walked out of the doorway. After three minutes she came out in a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a black corset. She wore a pair of partially laced combat boots. She winced as she stepped forward. She stumbled and I shot forward to catch her.

"I'm guessing you're still in pain" I said, not really expecting an answer. She nodded. I steadied her and loosened my grip on her.

"I've got a question for you" I said.

"Ask away." Lacey said.

"Why do you have my name tattooed on your back?" I asked. Lacey looked up at me.

"People who matter a lot to me get their names tattooed on my back." Lacey stated simply. I looked her straight in the eyes. Their piercing blue color knocked the breath out of me.

"So I mean a lot to you?" I asked. Lacey smirked and wet her lips.

"You know me all too well." She replied. I fingered a chain that lay on her neck. I picked it up and noticed it had an "L" charm on it.

"Who gave that to you?" I asked.

"My older sister, Tara. Before she went all psycho on us." Lacey said, sighing, "Lisa has an identical one."

"It's gorgeous, just like it's wearer." I said. Lacey looked up at me. Our eyes met and I felt a spark light in my heart. My lips met hers, softly at first. She slipped her hands behind my neck. I pushed her up against the nearest wall. I touched my tongue to her lips and she parted them slightly. I twisted my fingers into her hair and our bodies pushed against each other. I slipped my tongue into her mouth. My tongue traced the inside of her jaw. She ran her fingers down my back. Suddenly, the beads that covered the doorway moved aside. We both heard them, but we couldn't pull away fast enough. Dylan stood in the doorway.

"Lisa wants to see you." He said, hastily. He turned and ran.

"Dylan! No!" Lacey exclaimed, starting to run after him. I followed her. Lacey had caught up with him and was gripping his arm.

"So you can make out with a near stranger, but you can't do the same with me?" Dylan accused her.

"Dylan, you don't understand!" Lacey exclaimed, pulling her corset up the slightest bit.

"Oh I understand perfectly!" Dylan shot back, "You've known me for a year or more and you can't even tell me your feelings for me!"

"That's because I don't feel that way about you!" Lacey said, her voice volume increasing.

"Of course you do!" Dylan yelled.

"I don't feel that way about you!" Lacey yelled, "You're like my brother!" Dylan lost his temper and pulled his pistol off of his belt.

He cocked the gun and pulled the trigger.

**A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! CLIFF HANGER! I will be back soon my dearest readers! Thank you for the support!**


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Shadow Children series, Adventure, Romance